A320neo makes maiden flight

Published in flightglobal.com, Sep 25, 2014

The Airbus A320neo has made its maiden flight, taking off from Toulouse at just past noon Central European Time. Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM-powered MSN6101 carried a crew of five. The type, also to be available with CFM International’s new Leap Engine, promises to cut fuel burn by 20% compared to standard A320s, owing to the new generation engines and aerodynamic improvements including Airbus’s sharklet wingtip extensions.

Airbus

To date, firm orders for the NEO stand at 3,257 aircraft from 60 customers.

Airbus says in final stages of A320neo ground tests

By: TIM HEPHER, published in reuters.com , Sep 16, 2014

(Reuters) – Airbus is conducting the final stage of ground trials as it edges towards the keenly-awaited first flight of its revamped A320neo aircraft, the planemaker said on Tuesday.

The first test aircraft is on the “final run-in” towards its maiden flight, a spokesman said in answer to a query, but added it was too early to predict an exact date.

Airbus is sticking to its target for a first flight in the third quarter, or by the end of September, the spokesman said.

Maiden flights need good weather and are usually announced just a few days before they are expected to happen.

Industry sources have said the flight was tentatively planned in early September, but had to be pushed back because of a problem with engine testing, raising some concerns that the flight could slip to October.

Airbus and its engine maker Pratt & Whitney have declined to comment on the precise schedule, but analysts are paying close attention because the success of the new fuel-saving version of Airbus’s best-selling A320 jet depends in part on new engine technology to fulfil a backlog of 3,000 orders from airlines.

Another person familiar with the matter said preparations had been disrupted by a problem with a bird strike test.

The test, in which bird carcasses are fired at an engine to test its ability to withstand a potentially dangerous bird strike, is one of several key steps towards certification.

Pratt & Whitney declined to comment on the test.

“We routinely test our engines and we do not share specifics of our test results,” a spokeswoman for the United Technologies subsidiary said.

The first flight of the A320neo is one of several important milestones expected for Airbus this month including the final safety certification of its latest long-haul jet, the A350.

Simultaneous European and U.S. safety approval is expected around the end of the month, allowing Europe’s first mainly carbon-composite jetliner to be delivered to launch customer Qatar Airways in the following weeks, subject to final checks.

The Gulf carrier, which has a reputation for stringent attention to detail, is expected to submit the jet to a rigorous inspection after earlier refusing to take its first A380 superjumbo in a standoff that has lasted more than three months.

Industry sources said last week the airline had agreed to take the first of 10 A380s it has ordered after the two sides resolved a dispute over quality of cabin work.

Qatar Airways has begun taking bookings for A380 services from Doha to London starting from Oct. 10, according to the airline’s website, replacing one of its Airbus A340 jets and adding to expanding superjumbo services at Heathrow, which according to Aviation Week already handles about 15 A380s a day.

Late Engine Issue May Cause A320neo First Flight Delay

By: Guy Norris and Jens Flottau , published in aviationweek.com , Sep 12, 2014

Airbus and Pratt & Whitney are believed to be tackling a late-developing certification issue with the PW1100Ggeared turbofan in an attempt to stave off the looming threat of a delay to the first flight of the re-enginedA320neo.

The aircraft manufacturer, which declines to comment, has targeted September for first flight of the A320neo with the Pratt engine but, according to industry sources, may be forced to delay this because of unidentified concerns related to the PW1100G. Airbus had hoped to fly the test aircraft, MSN6101, as early as Sept. 5. However the modified A320neo, which was pictured taxiing under its own power at Toulouse on Sept. 1, remains on the ground.

The Pratt-powered A320neo is the first of two re-engined variants to be developed and will be followed by the CFM Leap-1A powered version which is due to enter flight test in 2015.

The exact nature of the problem remains unclear, though industry sources indicate the hurdles to first flight are associated with the last set of fan-related certification tests that Pratt was conducting in the run-up to certification.

Pratt declines to comment specifically on the allegations of any certification or testing-related concerns. The company says “we are working closely with Airbus as we prepare for first flight. It is premature at this time to say exactly when that will occur. We will provide more details as they become available.” MTU Aero Engines, a key partner on the PW1100G program, deferred questions to Pratt & Whitney.

Sources within the supplier and customer community prefer to remain vague. One senior executive of a major A320neo customer confirms information that there has been an issue during testing. The fact that customer representatives know about it indicates that Pratt & Whitney has been briefing key industry players.

Although the PW1100Gs underwent oil system checks to verify that none of the recent seal failures which occurred with the PW1500G on the Bombardier CSeries would appear on the A320neo, the Airbus engine development has otherwise proceeded virtually to plan until now. The first two engines for the compliance aircraft were delivered on schedule to Airbus, and Pratt has at least 28 engines in build or already in the test program.

As of early July the engine maker was progressing rapidly through the final items on the check list for European JAR-E and U.S. FAR Part 33 engine certification, with high and low pressure compressor stress tests, 150 hr. block tests, water and hail ingestion and a final brace of bird strike tests yet to be completed. Another major final test remaining was the fan blade out test, which Pratt was confident of passing successfully having already passed an earlier evaluation on a test rig.